Pontifical Academy for Life

News

Timing of monozygotic twinning: a critique

The Zygote journal has
recently published "The timing of monozygotic twinning: a criticism of the
common model", study written by Prof. Gonzalo Herranz, Member Emeritus of
the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Borgman Scott
2013-06-15

Dr. Jokin De Irala briefly presents
the study:

"The issue is very important
for two main reasons. First of all, the timing of the monozygotic twinning is a
biological question; in the era of medicine based on scientific studies, we
have to ask to what extent the information we have on this matter is reliable. Secondly,
the question also possesses high bioethical relevance, because the debate on the
beginning of human life, the ethics of the in vitro fertilization (FIV) or the Embryo
experimentations have been insistently focused on the timing of the monozygotic
twinning, arguing there are no ethical issues related to manipulation of
embryos within 14 days from fertilization."